Tag: march madness

Wisconsin basketball amid a crash in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology

Wisconsin basketball amid a crash in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology

Wisconsin basketball finally returned to the win column last night with a 62-54 win over Ohio State.

The important win came after the Badgers’ losing streak had reached four games, the streak reaching a crescendo with Saturday’s blowout loss at Rutgers.

That stretch of poor play saw the team drop from No. 6 in the AP Poll to No. 20, fall from first place in the Big Ten standings to a full three games behind first-place Purdue and slide in nearly every bracket projection.

Related: Wisconsin basketball social media reacts to massive win over Ohio State

Prominent bracketologist Joe Lunardi put out his updated bracket Tuesday — before Wisconsin’s win over Ohio State — and the Badgers are down to a four-seed.

Consider this: Two weeks of basketball have dropped the Badgers from a potential 1-seed to the 4-line with the fall to continue if the team can’t start stacking wins.

Time remains in the schedule for Greg Gard’s team to turn it around. It will need to do so soon, or else that NCAA Tournament seeding could completely crash.

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Social media reacts to lack of respect for ACC teams in Bracketology

Social media reacts to the disrespect the ACC is getting in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology release.

These days the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been in a whirlwind of different conversations as they look to establish what once was.

Truthfully the ACC never got its respect in collegiate sports like football but has always been a frontrunner in basketball. Well, that’s slowly changing and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is exposing that, calling out the lack of ACC teams and their ranking in recent March Madnesses.

Lunardi’s recent men’s basketball bracketology that predicts teams’ placement for the NCAA tournament features four ACC schools, the lowest it would be since 2014. Those four teams are UNC, Duke, Virginia, and Clemson. Among the first four out is Wake Forest, who has been a team to be wrecking with yet has failed to pick up a Quad 1 win (0-4).

The ACC attack wasn’t taken kindly by social media. Instead, it flipped to those like Lunardi who create such a list and the impact it serves. The firey responses were quite a treat, echoing the disrespect ACC teams have faced.

Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the ACC being on the verge of a low of teams in March Madness.

Duke and Clemson the same seed in latest CBS bracket projections

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm released his latest bracket projections on Monday, and despite a better record and a head-to-head win over Clemson, the Blue Devils were one overall seed below the Tigers.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm released an updated bracket projection on Monday, and he still has Duke as a No. 4 seed.

The Blue Devils finished as the fourth-ranked team in the Midwest bracket, drawing in-state foe UNC Wilmington in the opening round.

Palm is also much higher on the Clemson Tigers than most, as he had the Tigers as a fellow No. 4 seed in the East bracket. In fact, in his overall seeding below the mock bracket, Palm had Clemson as the 13th-ranked team in the proceedings, one overall spot above the Blue Devils.

Keep in mind, Clemson is 16-7 on the season and 4-5 against Quad 1 opponents.

Duke basketball has a 19-5 record, a 5-2 record in Quad 1 games, and a head-to-head win over the Tigers earlier this month.

Purdue, Kansas, and South Carolina were the three highest teams in the region. A first-round win would pit Duke against either No. 5 Colorado State or No. 12 Richmond in the second game.

The Boilermakers are one of the consensus top four overall seeds right now alongside Arizona, Houston, and Connecticut.

North Carolina came in as the No. 2 seed in the South region, and the Virginia Cavaliers were the No. 8 seed in the West.

Bracketology: Clemson on the move in Joe Lunardi’s latest projections

A look at where Clemson ranks in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN.

Clemson’s NCAA tournament hopes received a huge shot in the arm with road wins at No. 3 North Carolina and Syracuse last week.

The Tigers begin the second week of February at 16-7 overall and 6-6 in ACC play. They entered the year on a tear at 11-1 through their first 12 games but then proceeded to drop six of their next nine contests in conference play.

Thanks to the past week, the Tigers are on the move again, if only slightly. Clemson moved up two spots to a projected No. 6 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update for ESPN.

Lunardi’s new projections have Clemson facing the winner of a play-in game between Nevada and Utah from the First Four competition in Dayton, Ohio.

The projected 6 vs. 11 matchup would be at Memphis’ FedEx Forum in the West Region of NCAA Tournament games, Lunardi forecasts.

Lunardi predicts that only four ACC teams will make this year’s NCAA Tournament: Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, and Virginia.

The lack of strong ACC presence in the tournament is something Lunardi points to as part of the conference’s overall decline in the past five years.

“For the first two decades of this century, the ACC averaged at least one top seed per year. The conference peaked in 2019, landing three of four No. 1 seeds, including national champion Virginia. Since then, there’s not been a single top line selection from the ACC, its longest drought since seeding began in 1979,” he writes.

Lunardi awards the SEC and Big 12 with the most bids by conference with nine apiece.

Clemson returns to the floor Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum when it hosts Miami (15-9, 6-7) in a rematch at 7 p.m. EST. The Tigers fell to the Hurricanes on Jan. 3 at Miami’s Watsco Center, 95-82. Wednesday’s game will be televised by ESPN2.

Alabama basketball ranked No. 15 in Coaches Poll

Crimson Tide continue to rise by the week in the Coaches Poll

The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off of a 109-92 hammering of the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge and are playing as well as anyone in the Southeastern Conference right now. At 9-2 in SEC play, the Crimson Tide and South Carolina Gamecock stand atop the leaderboard with just seven conference games remaining.

However, the home stretch will not be easy for the Tide with Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas left as well as two games against the Florida Gators. [autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] has been the leader of the Crimson Tide this season averaging 20.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.0 apg, as well as tacking on 1.7 steals per game on the defensive end as well. He’s shot a remarkable 51.3% from the field and 44.4% from three and is likely on his way to First-Team All-SEC honors.

The Crimson Tide as a whole are hitting their stride at the perfect time with March right around the corner. This week, Alabama rose one spot in the Week 15 Coaches Poll to No. 15 in the country. Alabama basketball will be back in action from Coleman Colosseum on Saturday.

Alabama basketball rises one spot in Week 15 AP Poll

Alabama hoops jump to No. 15 in this weeks AP Poll

Despite losing by 18 points earlier in the week on the road against the Auburn Tigers, [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama squad responded with a resounding 109-92 victory in Baton Rouge Saturday afternoon over the LSU Tigers. Even though the Tide were just 1-1 on the week, they rose one spot in the Week 15 AP Poll to No. 15 in the nation.

Alabama currently stands at 17-7 on the season, however, the losses can be a bit misleading as they came against some of the best teams in the country like Arizona, Creighton and Purdue. The Tide’s out-of-conference schedule is only going to help them the deeper they go in the season and into the tournament. Plus, the losses aren’t even really being held against Alabama as ESPN’s March Madness expert Joe Lunardi currently projects the Tide to to be a three-seed.

At 9-2 in the SEC, Alabama and South Carolina share the lead for the conference with Auburn one game back. The Crimson Tide don’t play again until next Saturday when they host the Texas A&M Aggies before traveling to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.

Is the secret weapon for Duke…Jared McCain’s rebounding?

Jared McCain, a 6-foot-3 freshman guard, has at least 10 rebounds in three of Duke’s last four games, and his effort might be massive in March.

There’s nothing revolutionary in the idea that rebounding is important once the college basketball postseason comes around.

A team needs to win six straight games to cut down the nets, often needing to survive at least one nailbiter in the process. An extra two or three possessions, or stopping the other team from an extra two or three possessions, can be the difference between a trip to the Final Four and an opening weekend exit.

It wouldn’t take a mad scientist to tell you Duke’s best rounder is the 7-foot sophomore Kyle Filipowski. The potential All-American leads the Blue Devils with 8.2 rebounds per game, and the Blue Devils are a top 20 team in the nation in defensive rebounding by KenPom’s metrics.

However, there’s a less expected name who demands attention when you break down Duke’s prowess on the glass, and he might be the difference in the biggest games: freshman Jared McCain.

The 6-foot-3 first-year Blue Devil weighs less than 200 pounds, according to the official team site, so one would be forgiven for overlooking him at first glance. He’s also a sharpshooter, averaging more than 38% from beyond the arc.

However, he’s grabbed at least 10 rebounds in three of Duke’s last four games, including double-doubles against North Carolina and Boston College. He’s finished with double-digit rebounds in five college games so far, and his 4.7 boards per game are the third-most on the team.

Even when you dig into KenPom’s advanced rebounding metrics, McCain’s 15.4% defensive rebounding rate is behind only Filipowski and sophomore Mark Mitchell among Duke players averaging more than 15 minutes per game.

The answer to his production on the glass is simple: effort.

Head coach Jon Scheyer praised McCain’s hustle after Duke’s loss to North Carolina, saying the freshman impressed him with his dedication and routine. If a ball gets tipped out of the paint during a Duke game, there’s a high chance McCain is racing after it a little harder than anyone else.

No, the Blue Devils probably can’t rely upon a 6-foot-3 guard averaging 4.7 rebounds per game as a primary board-getter during March Madness. However, as we discussed off the top, the difference between a win and a loss in the postseason can often come down to a possession or two, and McCain gets one or two more rebounds than most guards his size.

He can’t replace Filipowski if the 7-foot star has a truly off night, but if Duke needs an extra surge to flip a one-score game, the freshman has proven himself to be reliable.

Photo Gallery: Ducks’ bubble close to bursting after home split

Oregon had to settle for a split with the Washington schools this past weekend when a sweep was needed to keep its NCAA hopes alive.

There’s no two ways about it. The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team needed to sweep the Washington schools at home this past weekend just to keep the NCAA tournament bubble intact.

Phase I went Oregon’s way with an 85-80 win over the Huskies on Thursday as Jermaine Couisnard scored a career-high 27 points. It wasn’t pretty, however. The Ducks held a 20-point lead in the second half before doing their best to blow it. Fortunately, Oregon hit free throws down the stretch to hold off those pesky Dawgs.

But free throws would ultimately doom the Ducks on Saturday as Phase II of the weekend sweep fell short in a 62-56 loss to Washington State. Oregon missed six from the charity stripe, going 8-of-14. A six-point loss, six points left off the board. There’s the game.

Now not only do the Ducks (16-8, 8-5 Pac-12) need to rack up as many wins as possible down the stretch, but they need to make a serious run in the Pac-12 tournament in order to participate in March Madness and avoid playing in the NIT for the third straight season.

Hopefully, that magical run begins in six days as Oregon goes to Corvallis to play the Beavers.

Here are the best pictures from Oregon’s games with the Huskies and Cougars.

PHOTOS: Top images from Alabama’s road win over LSU

Relive the excitement of Alabama’s win over LSU with this photo gallery from the game!

Alabama traveled to Baton Rouge to take on LSU, and it appeared as if the Crimson Tide wanted to get some frustration out after losing to Auburn a few days before.

Despite a brief comeback attempt by the Tigers, Alabama remained resilient and pulled away at the end, winning with a final score of 109-92.

Next up for Alabama is a home matchup against Texas A&M, which could always be a close and fast-paced game. Before looking ahead to next week, relive the excitement from the Tide’s most recent win and the stars from the team that helped make it happen.

How did Alabama’s loss to Auburn impact March Madness Bracketology?

Alabama’s rough road loss to Auburn may have impacted the Tide’s March Madness projection. See how.

Alabama and Auburn have faced off twice this season on the hardwood and the series is split, with the home team winning both times. Auburn remains the higher-ranked team, but the Crimson Tide has the metrics backing them up to make a run in March.

With the 2023-2024 college basketball regular season winding down, the NCAA Tournament picture is growing clearer by the day. The latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology prediction after the Tide’s recent loss on the road has Alabama as a No. 3 seed and Auburn as a No. 4 seed. They are in different regions.

Nate Oats and his team would be in the South Region, where Houston and Marquette would be the respective first and second seeds.

There’s some time left for Alabama to improve its resumĂ© before conference tournaments begin.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as the season progresses.

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